GREENVILLE, Pa.—Thiel College James Pedas Professor of Communication Dane S. Claussen, Ph.D., has been appointed as the next editor of Newspaper Research Journal, the prestigious scholarly journal published quarterly since 1979 by the Newspaper and Online News Division, Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication.
Claussen—who also is Chair of the Department of Media, Communication and Public Relations and Executive Director of the James Pedas Communication Center at Thiel College—is the former publisher and editor of daily, weekly, biweekly and monthly newspapers in Wisconsin, Oregon and Washington state and a former newspaper management consultant and media mergers/acquisitions broker. Throughout his teaching career, he has taught newspaper-oriented courses such as news writing, feature writing, opinion writing, public affairs journalism, news editing, and newspaper/magazine management, as well as other media courses.
The transition from Newspaper Research Journal’s current co-editors, Sandra H. Utt and Eleanor Kelley Grusin, both of the University of Memphis, began in September. Professors Utt and Grusin have edited the journal since early 2001. Claussen will take over starting Jan. 1, 2018 and continue through Sept. 30, 2021.
Claussen previously was editor of the quarterly, refereed Journalism & Mass Communication Educator from 2006-2012, and served on its editorial board both before and since his editorship. It also is published by the Association for Education in Journalism & Mass Communication. In assuming the editorship of NRJ, he will become one of only a few scholars in the field’s entire history to serve as editor of two major journals.
In addition to editing J&MCE, he has headed the AEJMC’s Mass Communication & Society Division; History Division; Magazine Division; Media Management, Economics & Entrepreneurship Division, and LGBTQ Interest Group, among other roles. Claussen also has been an elected member of AEJMC’s Teaching Committee; appointed member of its Publications Committee; and ex officio member of its Diversity Task Force.
Before joining Thiel, a leading liberal arts college in northwest Pennsylvania, in 2015, he was Visiting Professor of International Journalism at Shanghai International Studies University in China from 2013-2015. He also was Executive Director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Nevada (2011-2013); Claussen was a Fulbright Specialist (2009-2014) and has done extensive consulting for universities and nonprofits in Bangladesh.
Claussen holds a doctorate in mass communication from the University of Georgia, an MBA from the University of Chicago, an M.S. in mass communications from Kansas State University, and a B.S. in journalism from the University of Oregon. He was named the Pedas Endowed Chair in Communication in 2015.
About Thiel College
Thiel College is an independent college founded in the Lutheran tradition. Located in Greenville, Pa., the College offers 60 majors and minors, 24 varsity sports, and an 11:1 student-faculty ratio. The College is also home to a new Master of Science in speech-language pathology and 2Master of Business Administration. Both master’s degree programs offer innovative and accelerated five-year paths which allow students to earn a bachelor’s and master’s degree in five years. The speech-language pathology program also has an accelerated 15-month graduate-level program. The M.B.A. program also has a 12-month post-graduate program.A dedicated faculty paired with dynamic research and internship opportunities produce numerous graduate school and job placements. Coeducational from its beginnings, the College remains committed to combining tradition with innovation as it celebrates 150 years.